The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced its landmark 2009 Roadmap calendar, featuring the most sweeping reforms in history to the circuit structure. The aim of the reforms is to create a more fan friendly and healthier system to more consistently deliver stars to top events and reduce withdrawals.

Cornerstones of the 2009 Roadmap calendar:

Longer Off-Season
• 30% increase in off-season (7 to 9 weeks, with season to end in October)

Healthier Calendar
• Longer off-season, more in-season breaks for players (e.g. post-Wimbledon)
• Player commitment reduced by 23%, from 13 to 10 tournaments for top players
• Limitation on top player ability to play events outside of 20 Premier events

Record Investment
• $710 million in new stadium facility investments, including world-class new stadiums in China and Madrid
• $84 million in season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships deals in Doha 2008-2010 and Istanbul 2011-2013

More Combined/Back-to-Back Events
• 31% of events will be combined men/women
• 46% of events will be either combined or back-to-back in 2009

Revenue Sharing
• Tennis’ first ever revenue sharing to see players share in tournament revenue growth, and link player commitment to increases in prize money

China
• Major Tour presence and expansion into China market, with China Open as one of the four cornerstones of the calendar, and a new Asia-Pacific Tour HQ in Beijing

New Ranking System

• Best 16 results and more directly linked to the Tour’s top events by awarding of “zero pointers” for any missed Premier commitment tournament, Grand Slam or the Sony Ericsson Championships

Stronger Penalties/Suspensions

• Suspension system for Top 10 players who miss Premier commitment tournaments and increased withdrawal fines

On Court Coaching

The 2009 Roadmap calendar will also feature on-court coaching at all events, following approval by the Tour Board at its US Open meeting of this fan entertainment innovation. The decision to implement on-court coaching follows extensive testing of the concept and strong support from broadcasters, sponsors and tournaments and majority support from the Tour’s Players Council.

Under the new rule, players can request their coach once per set, either on a changeover or at the end of a set. In addition, a player may request her coach if her opponent has requested a medical timeout or change of attire/toilet break. All coaches called on court during televised matches will be required to wear a microphone to capture the coaching conversation for TV viewers.